Daddy's Little Girl
by littlee0618
Summary: Vignettes about Melody Faith Hudson. Hidden moments that weren't included in This Is Us.
1. On Her Own Timetable

**A/N: Well, you guys asked for it and well here it is! Each chapter is going to cover a milestone in Melody's life. It may not be in order, but I decided to start at the beginning for the first chapter cause well, there's no better place right? Anyways, like always I don't own anyone related to gLee but I do own Melody****.**

Chapter 1: On Her Own Timetable

If there was just one word to describe Rachel Hudson, it was annoyed. And hot. Yeah, annoyed and hot would suffice at the moment. She'd never been hotter in her entire life. She was done being pregnant, done being huge and just...she was just done, okay? She was over this a week ago and as time continued to fly past her, the more aggravated she became. She had tried everything. She'd walked the halls of the apartment building over and over because she had read that walking was known to induce labor. Did she mention she was tired of being pregnant?

She huffed as she blew through the door to their apartment, Finn hot on her heels. He'd been following her around like a lost puppy the last few days, just wanting to make sure nothing happened to her or their little girl.

Their little girl. Rachel had to smile as she thought about the baby. They were finally getting their perfect thing after so much heartache and sadness. Could she really be blamed for wanting to just get a move on with their perfect life?  
Finn followed her into the living room and watched her plop down on the supple couch. She sighed as she leaned her head back against the couch.  
"You alright?" He asked carefully. He eyed her up and down and smiled a little as he watched her run her hands over her belly.  
"Oh I'm fine." She groaned. "Can you get me a glass of water please?"  
"Coming right up" He leaned over her and placed a soft kiss on her sweaty forehead before moving into the kitchen to get her a glass of water.  
"Make it ice cold please!" She called back.  
"Of course my love" He groaned inwardly. He placed his hands on the counter, allowing his shoulders to sag for a minute. He felt so incredibly tense. He had no idea waiting for her to go into labor would be like this. All the movies he'd seen the woman kind of just...woke up in a puddle of water and that was it. What was taking their baby so long? He sighed deeply and made some noise so she didn't yell at him for taking too long. He walked out into the living room with her glass of water and smiled at her when he saw here sitting there, feet raised on the coffee table in front of her and her shirt lifted to expose her large abdomen. It still caught him off guard every time he saw her, clothed or otherwise that he did that, that was _his_ baby growing inside the woman he loved. That was _his _child too.  
He handed her the water she grinned at him for the first time all day. He sat down beside her as she drank hurriedly from the cup. She handed it to him when she was finished.  
"Thanks Finny" She smiled as she looked at him. She leaned over and placed a soft kiss on his lips.

He was just about to say something to her when the phone rang from the table beside him. She glared at him as it rang a second time. Did he mention at all how fun her mood swings had been the last few weeks?  
He snatched up the phone before she could burn a hole in his forehead with the way she was looking at him.  
"Hello?"  
"Finny! Have you guys eaten dinner yet?" It was his mother. His eye caught the clock on the wall. He hadn't realized it was that close to dinner time yet.  
"No, we haven't. What's going on?" Maybe someone would be coming to them with dinner. They'd been apartment bound for the last few days, Rachel refusing to leave the confines of the building in case her water broke. Which he was beginning to think himself was never going to happen.  
"Kurt has to work late tonight and Blaine has talked Burt into going to see some macho movie that I really have no interest in seeing. I was wondering if I could bring dinner to you guys?"  
Finn looked over at Rachel, who had picked up her bottle of cocoa butter from the table beside her and was busily rubbing it all over her distended belly.  
"Let me ask Rach..." He sighed. He moved the mouth piece away from his mouth. "Hey Rach, Mom wants to come by with dinner, is that okay?" Her head snapped up.  
"What is she bringing?" He actually saw her lick her lips. He remembered when she used to do that after looking at him. Now the thought of food...  
"Not sure." His mother must have heard the exchange because he heard her saying she would pick up whatever Rachel felt like eating. "She says she'll get whatever you want." He watched her ponder for a moment.  
"I'd really love a nice grilled chicken sub from that deli down the street from Kurt's. With mustard and pickles." At least it wasn't something disgusting. Memories of salsa and carrots made him shudder. Maybe that was a sign there was going to be an end to this madness soon?

He relayed the message to his mother, along with his own order of a roast beef sub with mayonnaise. When he hung up the phone he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his lap. She whimpered as she collapsed against his chest. He really wasn't comfortable like this, but the sigh she emitted when she settled against him made it worthwhile.  
"Mom said she was leaving the apartment now and would be here as quickly as she could." She nodded against his chest, turning as well as she could to bury her face in his chest.  
"I'm sorry I'm such a raging lunatic" She whispered, clutching his t-shirt in her hand. He chuckled a little bit as his hand ran up and down her back.  
"You're not a raging lunatic. A little neurotic, yes. But you're virtually a week over due with our precious baby girl. If I was in your position I'd be just as unhappy too"

* * *

They went to bed shortly after his mother left that night, with the promise that she would call to check on them tomorrow before she went shopping with Leroy and Hiram. He watched from his spot on the bed as she went through her pajama drawer trying to find a pair of pajamas. She ended up settling for an old football t-shirt of his and a pair of the shortest shorts he'd ever seen her. He swore they were from her high school days. She collapsed into the bed beside him and immediately turned away from him cuddling with her pregnancy pillow. It was the only comfortable position for her, and had been for the last two weeks. He immediately slid down and spooned behind her, his large hand coming to rest on her belly. The baby inside her kicked, his hand a welcomed pressure.  
"I love you" He whispered against her cheek.  
"I love you too" She sighed, closing her eyes as she sunk into his embrace.  
"I'm sorry for what I said earlier" He kissed her cheek. "I didn't mean to sound so insensitive, when you said you were hot..."  
She opened his eyes to look at him and gave him a small smile before reaching up to pat his cheek.  
"I know. It's over. It's okay" She sighed.

* * *

They did nothing the next day. Nothing. And it didn't really bother Finn at all. He helped her fold the rest of the baby's clothes that she had washed the day before. He vacuumed the nursery, again even though he had done it yesterday. All the while she lay on the couch or wandered around the apartment clutching the small of her back. He had to say she looked cute, because her shirt and shorts didn't quite meet and her belly poked out in the gap. _  
_"I'm so hot Finn" Rachel whined from where she was standing in the doorway of the kitchen. He turned to look at her, from where he was making a bowl of ice cream for the two of them. She waved her hands in front of her face as if it would magically make her cooler.  
"I know baby" was all he said. She walked into the kitchen and sat down on the stool at the breakfast bar, watching him. He handed her the bowl of chocolate ice cream wordlessly before sitting down beside her and eating his own bowl of ice cream.  
"Thanks" She said with a mouthful of melting ice cream.  
"Anything for my baby mama" He grinned. They were quiet as they ate, the silence enveloping both of them. Samantha reached back and rubbed the small of her back just as she finished licking the last little bit of ice cream off her spoon.  
"You alright?" He asked as he stood up, taking the empty bowl from her.  
"Yeah, just a little back pain. It's kind of been happening all day..."  
"Babe..." Finn exasperated.  
"It's fine. It's nothing. Probably going to be another week..." She shrugged. He sighed.

But four hours later, the pain was becoming more intense.  
"How about a bath?" He asked softly as they lay on the bed. He continuously rubbed her back in the area she said hurt. She sighed softly and nodded. There didn't seem to be a better idea, the bath seemed amazing.  
"That sounds fantastic..." She whispered. He smiled and got off the bed to go and get it set up. While he was away, Rachel stood up from the bed and almost doubled over when a strong pain ripped through her body. She gasped, wrapping her arms around her stomach.  
"Finn!" She called. He poked his head in the bedroom and ran to her when he saw her hunched over.  
"Contraction?" He asked softly, his arms coming around her waist to help her stand up.  
"Contraction" She sighed, leaning against him.  
"Okay, it's okay." He whispered against her head, kissing it over and over. "Let's go, we're gonna go to the hospital..." She nodded against his chest. When he pulled away from her she grabbed for his hand and clutched it hard as another contraction came over her.  
He grabbed her bag and led her out of the bedroom and through the apartment only stopping at the front door.  
"Finn wait..." She pulled his hand back getting him to stop and turn around, looking at her.  
"What is it?"  
"I need to change, I can't go out like this." She laughed a little, biting her lip. Finn laughed as he looked at her. He kissed her forehead and left her in the entryway sprinting for their bedroom. He came back a moment later with a t-shirt. He helped her strip off her tank top, taking one last look at her pregnant body before slipping the t-shirt over her head. He kissed her forehead.  
"Let's go have a baby" He grinned as he opened the front door and led her out again once more. She was so ready for this.

* * *

She'd thought she was ready for this.  
It had been 10 hours and the pain was excruciating. It radiated from the tips of her toes to her hairline and ignited every nerve in between. And if Finn told her one more time that it was going to be okay she was honestly going to find a lighter and some gas and light him on fire. She wasn't okay, it wasn't going to be okay until her body decided she'd been dealing with _this_ long enough to just shoot their daughter out. She'd thought being a week overdue would work in her favour in terms of labour, but apparently she'd been wrong. Very wrong. She arched her back as she laid on the bed, fighting off another wave of an intense contractions. But this one was more intense then the rest.  
"Finn" She huffed, grabbing his hand tightly. "Finn. I think." She felt a lot of pressure in her lower region, as if the baby was bearing down on her opening. "I think you need to call the nurse..." She panted. She squeezed her eyes closed as the contraction continued. Finn scrambled to his feet and pressed the call button over and over. A nurse was with them in moments, Dr. Wilson following behind them snapping gloves on.  
"I neeeeeeeeeeeeed to push" She cried out as she arched up on the bed. Dr. Wilson was over in moments. Rachel dropped her body down onto the bed as Dr. Wilson slid between her legs. Rachel screamed as she felt Dr. Wilson come near her.  
"Rachel, I need you to calm down so I can check you..."  
"I don't need you to check me I need to push!" She cried. "She's right there, I can feel it..." Finn crossed his body off hers, taking her face in his hands.  
"Baby, I know you're in pain and I know you want to just get this over with but you need to calm down...breathe baby. Breathe..." He imitated, and got her to follow his breathing.  
"Okay Rachel, you're at 10" Dr. Wilson interrupted from between her legs. "I need you to pull your legs back, okay? Dad's going to hold one and Sarah here will grab the other. On the next contraction, I need you to bear down and push..."  
Finn let her go and grabbed her hand in his left hand, bracing her right leg with his other hand. He leaned over and kissed her head just before another contraction started.  
"You can do this, I love you so much" He whispered against her already sweaty forehead. She opened her eyes enough to look at him, tears pricking the corners before squeezing them closed again and taking a deep breath.  
It was the most intense pain she had ever felt in her entire life. She couldn't imagine doing this without an epidural. She fell back against the bed when she couldn't hold her breath any longer.  
"That was good Rachel, go again when you're ready"  
She groaned as she sucked in another breath, bearing down as a scream ripped from her lips. Everything burned, everything hurt. It felt like her entire body was being ripped in half.  
After her third push, she collapsed, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I can't do this" She cried.  
"Yes you can Rachel" Dr. Wilson stated from between her legs. "You can, go again. She's almost here."  
She cried as she squeezed Finn's hand tightly. She pushed again and again, over and over until she felt something give. The burning intensified.  
"Hold up a second Rachel. Her head is out, we need to clean out her nose and mouth..." Dr. Wilson paused. Finn leaned over and looked around the sheet between her legs. She sobbed on the bed from the pain of not being able to do anything while he felt like he was going to vomit. He looked back at her and bit his lip, pressing his face to hers.  
"I love you so much"  
"Okay Rachel, one more push and it'll be over..." She lifted her body up and bore down harder than she'd been doing all night.  
And it was over. The pain ended and she felt empty. She collapsed against the bed and burst into tears as her daughter did the same. Dr. Wilson held the small infant up over the sheet so both Finn and Rachel could see her. She was screaming bloody murder.  
"Here she is!" Finn moved around to cut the cord so that the baby could be given to Rachel. The second he did so the nurse clamped it and brought the squirming, blood covered infant closer to Rachel and placed her on her chest. He felt the tears come to his eyes as Rachel placed a hand down on the baby's back.  
"Hi baby. You're finally here" Rachel cried. Finn crowded at the side of her bed, just looking at the baby. A nurse went to take her from them after a moment.  
Finn went to protest when he saw Rachel's lip tremble.  
"We're just going to clean her up and do the standard newborn tests. She'll be back in no time"

True to her word, they brought the baby back not even 20 minutes later. Finn had slid onto the bed with Rachel after she was cleaned up herself and he felt his heart race as the baby was placed in Rachel's arms.  
"Oh hi baby" Rachel whispered as she held the tiny girl in her arms. She moved the blanket a little bit to see the baby's face.  
"6 pounds 1 oz. A tiny little things with enormous lungs" The nurse laughed.  
"Sounds like Mommy" Finn laughed. He kissed Rachel's head and lowered his face a little to look at the baby.  
The nurse chuckled. "I'll be back in a little while to help you feed her." She smiled. "Congratulations"  
"Thank you" They said together before turning their attention back to their baby girl. She yawned dramatically. Finn chuckled as he touched her nose.  
"She's so gorgeous." Rachel whispered, looking from the baby to Finn and back again.  
"Just like her Mama" He smiled. The baby yawned again before opening her eyes and blinking several times. "Oh, I'm sorry did we wake you?" He cooed as he looked at her. The baby blinked several times over, looking in the direction of Finn. "Look at those gorgeous eyes. You got your Mama's eyes" He smiled. Rachel looked down at the baby girl and then at her husband.  
"She's pretty perfect huh?" She sniffled.  
"The best." She smiled. "So, Melody?" She asked after a quiet moment. "Or Harmony?" Finn looked down at the baby girl.  
"Melody." He said with certainty after a few minutes. "Melody Faith Hudson"  
Rachel nodded and brought the baby up to kiss her forehead. "Welcome to the World Miss Melody, we've been waiting a long time for you"  
Finn felt the tears fall down his cheeks. Rachel looked up at him and kissed him softly.  
"Happy?" He whispered as he held them both close.  
"So happy" Rachel whispered turning her attention back to the baby. "So incredibly happy."


	2. Daddy Get Your (Water) Gun

**A/N: TIME JUMP!  
I don't own glee, or any of it's characters. Just Melody and Caleb. And Riley. **

**Daddy Get Your (Water) Gun**

Finn tapped his fingers on the steering wheel as he sat outside the high school. Old school rock played on the radio, almost keeping his mind off of the fact that his daughter was late. Melody was never late. He knew it wasn't him, it was Friday and she didn't have glee club or anything after school today. So what was taking her so long? He turned up the radio and grabbed for his phone, thumbing through the contacts. He typed out a quick message to his daughter, in hopes of moving her even slightly along.

But then he saw her.

Or should he say them.

He watched from his position at the side of the road. He felt like he should maybe, drive around the block or something while simultaneously feeling like he needed to jump out of the car and beat the crap out of the boy who had his hands on his precious, perfect thing.  
He honked his horn when they got closer and shot a glare through the windshield. The boy's hands dropped from Melody's waist immediately as she stood there mortified. He had to remind himself to breathe while counting to ten before honking the horn again. His jaw clenched as

Melody walked closer to the car, the boy trailing behind her.  
He rolled down the passenger window before she could open the door. "Get in the car. Now." He growled.  
He'd promised himself he wouldn't be _that _father. Rachel's dads had been _those _dads and he'd always promised himself he'd be the cool father.  
And then he saw _him_ kiss and touch _her _and all his anger rose to the top.  
Melody, sensing her father's anger, slid into the passenger seat. He rolled up the window as she did up her seatbelt, before tearing out of the school parking lot.  
"What the hell dad?" She arched an eyebrow as she looked at him.  
"What do you mean, what the hell? I should be asking you the same question. That boy had his hands all over you..."  
Melody crossed her arms over her chest and looked out the window.  
"Melody..." He pulled to a stop light just a few minutes away from their house. "I asked you a question..."  
"I asked you one first." She stubbornly pouted.  
So this was how it was going to be.

When had she become so closed off? She used to tell him everything! When had she become a teenager? He felt like he'd blinked and she went from being a newborn, a tiny 6 pounds 1 ounce, colicky newborn to this sullen, secretive 16 year old. When had that happened and how did he make it stop?

He pulled the car into the driveway and hadn't even gotten the car in park before she threw open the door and slammed it closed. Yep. Moody teenage daughters were awesome. And he had a feeling he was about to find out just how awesome.  
She'd had a few beats to get Rachel on her side by the time he got into the house. He dropped his work bag by the front door and shucked off his jacket. He sighed, taking a mini breather before going for what he assumed would be the lion's den.

He walked in just as Melody was pleading her case. "Mom I didn't do anything wrong! He HONKED the horn at me! Can you believe that? It was so embarrassing!"  
"I honked because you were 15 minutes late getting to the car! Plus, that _boy_ had his hands and mouth all over you." He walked over to his wife and pressed a kiss to her head before going to the fridge and grabbing a bottle of water. He could tell by the look on Rachel's face that Melody hadn't gotten to that part of the story yet.  
Rachel gave her daughter a stare down, just as Caleb came skidding into the kitchen. "Mommy, can I have another cookie? Hey Dad." Finn smiled down at his 8 year old son.  
"Hey squirt." He ruffled his hair and reached for the cookie jar on the counter before Rachel could refuse.  
"Take two and go watch TV in the living room." He smiled.  
"Cool. Thanks Dad!" Caleb grabbed for two of the chocolate chip cookies from the jar before running out of the room back to his episode of Spongebob Square Pants again. Rachel groaned before turning her attention to her daughter.  
"Who had their hands on you?" He watched as she arched an eyebrow at her, something Melody had learned and perfected.  
"Riley Schuster."

Finn felt like he was going to have a heart attack. Riley Schuster? He was...  
"Senior Riley Schuster?" Rachel filled in the blanks like she knew exactly who Melody was referring to.  
"Wait, Schuster?" He turned from his daughter to his wife and back again. "As in..."  
"Will and Emma's youngest son, yes. THAT Riley Schuster."  
"That. Makes all of this worse. So much worse. I'm going to have to call him..." He grabbed for his phone that he had thrown on the counter when he walked in.  
"Daddy, no!" Melody stomped her foot and looked at her father. "I like him." She added quietly.  
"Excuse me?"  
"I like him." She mumbled, looking down.  
"Excuse me? I can't hear you!"  
"I LIKE HIM. Okay? There. I said it." She stomped her foot again.  
"Do you go around letting every guy you _like_ feel you up?" He grunted in frustration.  
"Ewe!" Melody covered her ears. "Dad, we are NOT talking about this. Besides, he's my boyfriend..."  
Finn's eyes widened, just as Rachel grimaced. "Finn" She said in a warning tone.  
"You're too young to have a boyfriend" He stated, not inviting any further comment. Yep, he'd crossed into _that_ dad territory.  
"Finn..." Rachel tried again. "Finn, remember when we were 16..."

He turned his attention to her. He stared at her for a good long minute, she said with her eyes everything he was afraid of.  
They had been _that_ couple in high school. Got together at 16 and had been together ever since. And they'd...  
"No!" He shook his head turning his attention back to his teenage daughter. "No. You're too young for a boyfriend!"  
"But you and Mom got together when you were 16." She reiterated Rachel's statement.  
"Things were different..."  
"Different? How? Just because it was a million years ago..." Melody laughed. Rachel bit her lip to keep from laughing but it wasn't working. The glare Finn sent her way sobered her up pretty quickly.  
"Do you WANT to be grounded?"  
"For what, having a boyfriend? Let a boy touch my waist? Oh the scandal!" She mocked.  
"Melody Faith, you are treading on thin ice here" Rachel snapped. Finn turned around to look at her.  
"Did you know about this?"  
She bit her lip. "I...I knew she liked him. I didn't know how serious it was..."  
Finn turned his attention back to Melody.  
"Are we done here?" She tapped her foot. "I kind of have things to do..."  
"Like?" Finn eyed her.  
"Get ready? I'm going out tonight."  
"Oh you think so, eh?" Finn crossed his arms over his chest.  
"Yeah." She crossed her own arms across her own chest, mirroring her dad. "I think so. I'm going out. With Riley"  
"I don't think so." Finn shook his head.  
"Daddy!" She stomped her foot again.  
"Melody, that behaviour is not helping."  
"You're so mean to me." She pouted and looked at Rachel. "Mommy..."  
Rachel chuckled. She wrapped her arm around her daughter and kissed the side of her head. "Go change. I'll talk to your dad." Melody grinned and looked over at Finn before she stalked to the stairs.

Finn sighed and fisted his hair, pulling at the greying hair on his temples. Rachel stood up and went to rub his back. She circled her arms around his waist and leaned her head on his chest. She kissed the part of his chest she could reach and looked up at Finn.  
"Baby," She whispered. His eyes were trained on the ceiling before he looked down at her and sighed.  
"I've become your dads." He whispered. "A complete mix of both of them. I just...Rach, you didn't see them..."  
"I know this is hard Finn. But she's 16. She's a good girl, we trust her. You trust her. I trust her." she whispered.  
"When did she get so old Rach? When did she get to be 16? When did she even start liking boys, no less having a boyfriend?"  
Rachel sighed as she ran her thumb over her husband's stomach. "She is 16. I know, it feels like just yesterday I was pushing her out" She chuckled. "But we have to let her grow up, make mistakes and learn from them just like we did. And the boyfriend thing? I think that's recent. Last time we talked about it they hadn't really, decided what they would be..." She said carefully.  
He groaned as he leaned down and kissed her head. "I do trust her. And I guess I trust him, at least it's Will's son right? Not some loser..."  
"It could be worse." Rachel smiled. "It could be a Puckerman" Finn groaned.  
"Yeah, it could be worse." He kissed her head. "I guess I should tell her she can go..."  
"I heard you" Melody stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame staring at her parents. "And you can sleep easy...I have no interest in Elijah Puckerman." They all laughed as Melody crossed into the kitchen and hugged her parents.  
"I just want to meet him first."  
"Daddy..."  
"What? I just want to show him my water gun collection..." Rachel slapped his chest as they all chuckled.

* * *

Two hours later, when the doorbell rang Finn's back immediately stiffened. He dropped the sponge he was using to wash the dishes and looked at Rachel who was drying them. She placed a hand on his back just as they heard the telltale thump of both of their children stampeding down the stairs.  
"Caleb Levi, let your sister get the door!" Rachel called as she walked towards the hallway. The little boy paused and let Melody walk past him, her pace slowing just Finn came into the room as well. Finn hung back a little bit, leaning against the archway that led into the living room from the hallway. Melody threw open the door and grinned when she found all 5'10 of Riley Schuster standing there.  
"Hey." Finn noticed how her voice rose an octave, just like Rachel's did. He observed the pair, noticing how much Riley resembled Will, but with Emma's colouring.  
"My dad wants to meet you." He snapped out of his daydream and stood up straighter. He saw the younger boy swallow hard.  
"Okay" She gestured for him to come into the house. Finn stepped forward and crossed his arms. She introduced him to Rachel and Caleb before moving to Finn. Rachel and Caleb looked at him, expecting something big. Finn stuck out his hand to the boy.  
"Finn Hudson. You can call me Mr. Hudson." He smiled slightly. Riley nodded and shook his hand.  
"Riley Schuster. You can call me...Riley. I guess." He shrugged. Melody stared at Finn.  
"Take care of my baby girl. She's special." He tried a softer approach. He didn't want to be _that_ dad remember?  
"I will Sir. And I know, she's pretty special. I like her a lot."  
Finn nodded and looked at Melody who had relaxed into a smile. "Alright, have her back by 11."  
"I will Sir. We're just going to Breadstix and then to the bowling alley". Finn couldn't help but smile.  
"Have fun Kids." Melody moved away from Riley and stood on her tiptoes to give Finn a kiss on the cheek.  
"Love you daddy"  
"Love you too princess." He grinned, catching Riley's eye. He gave him a intense glare before letting Melody go.  
Rachel moved over to him as they watched Riley take Melody's hand and lead her out of the house and down the steps.  
"See, that wasn't so bad?" Rachel whispered against his bicep.  
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. We'll see when 11 o'clock comes." He sighed. "Hey Caleb, want to go bowling?"  
"FINN HUDSON!" Rachel shrieked.


	3. To Go or Not To Go (That's the Question)

**A/N...thanks for all the reviews! Hope you enjoy this one! No, I don't own anything related to glee. Just Melody and Riley in this chapter.**

Chapter 3: To Go or Not To Go, That is The Question

Melody blew out a breath and sent the pen she was holding across the table, where it proceeded to fall off the surface.  
"I hope you're planning on picking that up" Rachel walked into the room with her empty coffee mug. She arched her eyebrow looking at her daughter who returned to the computer screen in front of her.  
"Later" She mumbled, squinting her eyes. "Mom, how did you know NYADA was right for you?"  
Rachel gave her daughter a curious look. "I knew I wanted to be in New York, come hell or high water and NYADA was the best school for the performing arts. It was Mrs. Schuster's idea, actually. I hadn't heard about it until she suggested it as an option for both me and Uncle Kurt." Melody looked at her with an almost bored expression on her face. She knew that story, how they had come to NYADA to get the best education in the Arts. She knew her Mom and Uncle were insanely talented. But neither had really gone on to do anything special with their education.  
"I know that. But how did you know it was right for you?" Melody asked, impatient for an answer to her question.  
"I didn't. I took a chance. And once your dad said he would follow me to New York once he got his acceptance to NYU, I knew it was right."  
"So Dad chose for you."  
"Dad chose what?" Finn asked coming into the room.  
"NYADA." Melody answered as Rachel opened and closed her mouth.  
"Nah, if I'd had my way your mom would have been barefoot and pregnant the moment we landed in NYC after graduation." That earned him a prompt jab to the ribs. "I was kidding, jeez. I didn't choose anything for anyone. Me getting into NYU just cemented the fact that your mom could have her dream while I had mine and we could still be together." He kissed Rachel on the head before going to sit down at the table beside Melody. "What's this all about anyway?"  
"I'm trying to decide which offer to accept."

Over her four years of high school, Melody had gone off the beaten path of the family name so to speak and taken a real interest in Social Work. She belonged to the mentoring program that Riley had started in his senior year, running it after he had long graduated. She was following more in her Nana's footsteps, as she had been a nurse for years. Though the thought of blood made her stomach queasy. She just wanted to help people, more like her Uncle Blaine.  
"Well, let's start with this question. Which ones did you get into?" He ran his hand through his hair. He didn't want to think about sending his little girl off to college or university. It was bad enough he was just now getting used to her dating that Schuster boy. He'd gotten lucky in that regard, only having to deal with one major boyfriend for his little girl. And he knew the parents well to boot. His little girl was more like her mother than she ever could understand. But university was a big deal. And he wasn't sure he was ready to let her cross the country. He knew she had applied to every social work program in the country, leaving no stone unturned.  
"USC, NYU, Columbia and the University of Chicago" She read off the letterheads beside her.  
"Well, we can take these two away..." He smiled, pulling away the letters of admission from the University of Chicago and USC. "They're much too far away from home."  
She grabbed for them. "They are not. And University of Chicago has the best social work program out of all of them. AND they're offering me a scholarship for my work with the helping hands club." Finn dropped the paper.  
"Fine, we can eliminate USC then. Keep Chicago."  
Melody blew out a breath and looked at her mother for some help. "It does eliminate one of them honey, and you do have to make a decision soon. The deadline for accepting offers is next Monday."  
"I know." She blew out a breath. "Fine, USC is eliminated. I didn't want to get tanned anyways."  
"Baby, you take after your father, you would have burned the moment you stepped off the plane without sun block. Sorry about your luck" Rachel laughed, kissing her daughter's head. Melody grumbled.

* * *

She sipped her water as she looked across the table at her boyfriend.  
"So you haven't chosen one yet?" He asked, knowing the struggle she was having in choosing a university. It had been easy for him, he'd wanted to stay close to home as his parents were getting older (he was their 'surprise!' baby, and had come when they were older) and he hadn't received any scholarships from any schools except for the university of Lima.  
"No." She grumbled, looking down at the salad she had ordered for dinner. "But my dad did help me eliminate USC the other night."  
Riley nodded. "Well, what are the other ones?"  
"Columbia, NYU and Chicago. Only Chicago is giving me a scholarship."  
"So why don't you choose that one?" He took a bit of the pasta he had ordered.  
"Because it's not that simple." She groaned.  
"Seems pretty simple to me." Riley shrugged.  
"Do tell me then, why it seems so much more simple to you than to me..." She challenged, staring him down. He shifted in his chair.  
"You lived in New York right?"  
"'Til I was 8" She sighed.  
"So why not choose Chicago? Somewhere different? Plus it's a lot closer than New York. We could see each other more." He smiled. "Plus, you said that they offered you a full scholarship. And the added bonus of kind of making your parents happy while not being close enough for them to barge in every five minutes. Voila, independence and happiness. Plus me." He grinned.  
She sighed, leaning back in her chair a little bit.  
"I guess you're right."  
"I'm always right, haven't you learned that yet?" She picked up her napkin and threw it across the table at him.  
"That's the thanks I get for being helpful?" He laughed. "Last time I help you out then, I see what it gets me..."  
"Oh you'll see alright." She laughed at him and pursed her lips.

* * *

"So I think I've made a decision" She walked into her parents room after coming home from her date with Riley. She leaned against the door frame and crossed her arms over her chest. Both her parents looked up from what they were doing. Finn took off his glasses and placed them on the table beside him while Rachel put down her tablet to look intently at her daughter.  
"Well?" Rachel smiled at her daughter.  
"I think I've chosen University of Chicago. I'm going to take the scholarship. Plus it's closer to home then NYU or Columbia, but far enough that well...I can be my own person." She looked at her parents with a small smile.  
"Awe baby!" Rachel smiled, she got out of bed and walked over to her daughter. "You're going to love university! We should plan a trip to go and check out the campus and the dorms!" Melody laughed at her mother's excitement. Rachel kissed her cheek a few times before letting her go. Finn smiled from the bed with tears in his eyes.  
"My little girl, an official university student."  
"Well it's only official when I click accept..."  
"What are you waiting for?!" Rachel pushed her out of the room and down the hall to her bedroom where Melody had left her laptop.  
"Alright, alright" Melody laughed and plopped down on her bed, grabbing for the computer. Rachel sat down beside her and clapped her hands excitedly. Melody pulled up the page and waited for it to load, logging in.  
"Here we go..."  
"You're absolutely sure this is what you want?" Rachel asked as Melody was about to click the 'Accept' button beside University of Chicago's offer.  
"Yes." Melody nodded. "Riley made some good points at dinner. That we wouldn't have to give up too much of our relationship if I went there, that it was the best offer both scholarly and financially and that unlike NYU or Columbia, it would be a brand new experience for me."  
"I knew I liked Riley Schuster for a reason."  
"You mean other than the fact that he's head over heels for me?" Melody grinned. She turned her attention to the screen and clicked the accept button. "There, now I'm officially an almost university student" She laughed. Rachel laughed and leaned over to kiss Melody's head.  
"Congratulations baby. I'm so proud of you, you have no idea."  
"Thanks Mama." She smiled.  
"I mean it. And not just because of your choice to go to university. You've done nothing but make me proud since the day you were born. You've made great choices, haven't compromised yourself, and while I know your dad will kill me for this, but I'm glad you've found a guy who loves you so much that he's supporting your dreams too." Rachel kissed her head. "Just don't get knocked up like Aunt Quinn and we'll..."  
"Mama!" Melody exclaimed as she threw a pillow at her.  
"I'm just kidding. I'm just too young to be a grandma" She winked. "Call Riley and tell him you did it. I'll tell your dad."  
Melody nodded.  
"Oh and Mel?" She poked her head back into the room. She looked up from her computer.  
"I can't wait to go shopping with you for dorm stuff..." Melody grinned. She couldn't wait either.


	4. The Tooth Fairy Ain't No Cheapskate

A/N: This actually happened to me with my first tooth!  
As always, don't own Finn, Rachel or anyone from Glee. Just Melody.

**Chapter 4: The Tooth Fairy Ain't No Cheapskate **

Melody sat at the breakfast bar, swinging her legs as she coloured her picture of Ariel with concentration. She gently played with her loose tooth as she did so, moving the tooth precariously back and forth with her tongue as she coloured. Rachel closed the door to the oven and turned around to look at her daughter, cringing as she watched her for a moment.  
"Mel, doesn't that hurt?" She asked softly, wiping her hands on the dish towel that hung from the oven handle.  
"What?" She looked up from the picture she was colouring her picture to stare at her mother. She still continued to play with the tooth, pushing it back and forth with her tongue. Rachel cringed.  
"Your tooth, doesn't that hurt baby?"  
"Oh. No. It just feels funny" The 5 1/2 year old shrugged her shoulders before picking up where she left off with her colouring. Rachel shook her head and turned away, moving to check on the vegan chicken fingers she was making in the oven as the front door to the apartment opened and Finn walked in.  
"Anyone home?" He called.  
"In the kitchen!" Rachel called back, smiling after a few minutes when he came into the room, shaking out his hair. "Snowing again?"  
"Yeah." Finn sighed, placing the bag he had with him on the counter. He'd had a staff meeting at the school and had stopped off at the corner store for a treat for his girls on the way home. Melody looked up at her dad when she heard the bag hit the table.  
"Daddy, did you bring me a treat?" She asked smiling up at him. She continued to play with her loose tooth. Finn cringed much like Rachel had. It didn't go unnoticed by Rachel.  
"She's been doing it since she came home from school. Gross, isn't it? I asked her if she wanted me to just pull it out..."  
"No Mommy! That'll hurt!" Melody interrupted. Rachel rolled her eyes and looked at Finn.  
"See?" Finn nodded and walked closer to Melody, leaning down to look at her.  
"Can daddy see your mouth?" Finn asked, looking at her intently.  
Melody nodded. "Just don't touch my tooth Daddy."  
Finn chuckled. "I won't. I just want to see." She opened her mouth wide and Finn got a good look at the loose tooth that was dangling in the front of his daughter's mouth. He didn't even need to touch it to see that the tooth was precariously loose all on its own. "Huh, that's really loose Mel. Maybe we shouldn't have chicken nuggets for dinner."  
"But daddy I love chicken nuggets! Plus, if I cut them with my fork I can go around my tooth!" He laughed at her logic and kissed her head before going over to Rachel. He kissed her head.  
"It's really loose. I don't know how it's still hanging in there."  
Rachel sighed.

* * *

After they ate dinner, Rachel gave Melody a bath before allowing her to go and sit out in the living room where Finn was going over his lesson plan for the next day. Melody bounced over to the couch and cuddled up to him, looking up at her with puppy dog eyes.  
"Can I help you?" He laughed as he looked down at her. She was still playing with her tooth.  
"I'd like my treat daddy." She batted her eyes, looking up at him.  
"Did Mommy say you could have it?"  
Melody nodded. Rachel entered the room just in time for him to look at her. "Yeah, she can have it. She ate all her dinner. I'll get it."  
"You're lucky your cute" Finn laughed as he kissed his daughter's head.  
"I know." Melody grinned as Rachel came back into the room carrying the treat Finn had brought home for her. A kitkat bar. It was early enough that it hopefully wouldn't wind her up too much. Rachel handed the chocolate bar over to Melody.  
Rachel had her own treat, a bag of sour patch kids. She plopped down beside Melody on the couch and turned the TV to the Family Channel where Melody's show was just starting. Melody's attention was so focused on her show, a rerun of the Flintstones to really focus on what she's doing. She swallowed the last of her chocolate bar and licked her lips. It was then that she noticed her tooth was gone.

"MOMMY!" She shrieked before running her tongue along her bottom row of teeth. "My tooth!" Rachel turned to look at her daughter.  
"What about..."  
"My tooth is gone!" The tears brimmed in Melody's eyes. Finn dropped his papers and looked at his daughter. Rachel immediately pulled Melody's bottom lip down and sure enough, her left center tooth that had been precariously hanging there since a few nights ago, was gone. "But, where is it?" Rachel looked up at Finn who met her gaze.  
"Stand up Mel." She slid off the couch and Finn felt and looked around the couch for the missing tooth while Rachel took Melody to the bathroom to rinse out her mouth, though it seemed like she had swallowed any blood that could have been there. There was no tooth on the couch, in the crevice or on the floor around where Melody had been sitting. She had swallowed her first loose tooth. Melody and Rachel returned from the bathroom.

"Did you find my tooth daddy?" Finn looked at Rachel. He bit his lip.  
"Mel, I think you may have swallowed it when you ate your chocolate."  
The tears erupted from Melody's eyes as the idea settled in. Rachel crouched beside her and hugged her little girl as she cried.  
"But Mommy...how...will the tooth fairy know that I lost it?"  
"We can leave her a note baby girl, let her know what happened. She'll understand." Rachel ran her fingers through Melody's hair. Finn placed his hand on Melody's back.  
"But that's not the same" Melody cried.  
"I know baby, but there's not much we can do." Finn whispered. Melody sighed as she cuddled into Rachel's chest a little bit.  
"Okay. I guess we can write her a letter. Can I call Nana after I write the letter? I want to tell her and Poppy...and Grandpa and Granddad too!"  
Rachel and Finn smiled. "Sure, let's write that letter first" Melody smiled.

After writing the letter to the tooth fairy, explaining the unfortunate accident with her first tooth complete with a drawing of which tooth it was that she had lost, Melody dialed the familiar number of her beloved Poppy and Nana's house to tell them the good news.  
Finn and Rachel smiled as they sat on the couch beside Melody as she chatted on the phone with her Nana and Poppy, retelling the story of how she had swallowed her first tooth with far less tears than when Finn had broke the news to her.  
"Poppy, I swallowed it!" She exclaimed into the phone. Finn could almost hear his stepfather teasingly questioning his daughter about where her tooth was. After more giggles and one more phone call, Melody hung up the phone and looked up at her parents.  
"Show us your smile" Finn asked her. Melody grinned at both of her parents, the gap noticeable. Finn grinned. "Well, I hear the tooth fairy makes her rounds soon, night want to get you into bed little miss." Melody's eyes lit up and she wiggled off the couch, running for her bedroom.  
"You're bad" Rachel laughed, hitting her husband.  
"Nah, just getting late." He laughed. "How much is this going to cost me anyway?"  
"My Daddies used to give me $5 a tooth" She whispered, before standing up and stretching. Finn groaned.  
"Wow, the tooth fairy really ripped me off then. I got a quarter a tooth, a dollar for a molar"  
"Oh poor baby" Rachel laughed, leaning over to kiss his head. "Come on daddy, let's go tuck our big girl in..."


	5. And We're Off!

**A/N: Sorry this took so long! I was kind of stuck.  
As always, I only own Melody and the plot. Everything else is owned by RIB. Enjoy! **

**Chapter 5: And...We're Off!  
**

Rachel opened her eyes to the sound of Melody babbling over the monitor on her side of the bed. The other side was empty, void of her hunky husband and she smiled as she listened to her little girl babble, interspersed with little giggles and things that only made sense to her. Rachel swung her legs over the side of the bed, straightening the tank top and shorts she had worn to bed as she went. She left the room and headed for her daughter's nursery down the hall. Her grin widened when she saw her 11 month old standing up in her crib, babbling as she clutched the bar. She grinned a lopsided toothy grin, the one that matched her father's so perfectly when she saw her Mama.  
"Well good morning to you too Melody Doll!" Rachel exclaimed when she approached the baby. Melody giggled and raised her hands for Rachel to take her out. Rachel did as Melody wanted and the little girl immediately wrapped her arms around her mother's neck. She giggled into Rachel's ear. Melody was a happy girl. Rachel loved mornings like this.  
"Daddee?" Melody questioned as Rachel brought her over to the closet to pick out an outfit for the day. Melody was enamoured with Finn at the moment, and always wanted to see him. Rachel had no idea how she was going to deal with this phase if it persisted past the summer months. She was so lucky her husband had chosen a profession that allowed him to be home during the summertime with them. Like Melody, she liked his undivided attention too.  
"I think Daddy went for a run" Rachel smiled, finding the outfit she wanted for the little girl and walking back to the change table. She placed Melody down and went about getting her ready for the day. She changed her diaper and into the pink one piece romper she had picked out, completing the look with a clip in her hair to keep it out of her eyes. While her hair was long enough for clips, it wasn't quite long enough for pony tails or pigtails. Hopefully that would happen soon. Melody giggled, looking up at Rachel as she finished.  
"There, now you're all beautiful." Rachel smiled, leaning down to rub noses with her baby. Melody's hands went for Rachel's hair. Rachel smiled for a second before gently pulling Melody's hands out.  
"Gentle with Mommy princess." She smiled. She scooped her off the change table and Melody instantly itched to get down. She'd mastered crawling in the last few months, and wanted down as often as she was allowed. Rachel smiled as she watched the baby take off out of the nursery and down the hallway towards the living room. The slap of her hands against the floor of the hallway made Rachel laugh. She loved that sound. She followed a few paces behind the baby and smiled when she saw Finn coming into the living room, sweaty from his run. He smiled at her but gestured for her to stay quiet, Melody hadn't noticed him yet. That only lasted a second though.  
"DADDEE!" She exclaimed when she caught sight of her favourite person. She sat back on her diapered bottom and jumped a little excitedly, clapping her hands while she grinned. Finn swooped in and picked up his baby girl, smothering her face with kisses until she used her tiny hands to push him away.  
"What, no more daddy kisses? Too much for you?" He placed one more on her cheek before throwing her up in the air a little bit as Rachel came closer to the pair. She smiled.  
"Have a good run?" She asked as she ran her hand around his back, coming to rest on his opposite hip.  
"Yeah." He smiled, not taking his eyes off the baby. He made a funny face at her, that she giggled at in return. She squirmed after a few minutes to be put down. "It's getting hot out there already, " He turned to her a little bit when Melody had crawled over to her toy box. She hoisted herself up to it as her parents watched, and grabbed for the first toy she could successfully grab. Her doll. She sat down on her diapered bottom and immediately started to talk to her baby in a language only the two of them understood.  
"I bet" Rachel smiled, looking up at her husband. "I was hoping we could maybe hit the Central Park Zoo, unless you think it'll be too hot today?"  
Finn looked down at her, away from where his attention had turned to Melody. "If we go soon, maybe before lunch time we might be okay. I'm going to jump in the shower and then we can hit the road after breakfast" Rachel nodded and kissed his cheek before he walked away. Melody looked up from her doll as Finn left the room.  
"Daddee?" She asked, looking at Rachel.  
"He's just going to shower. How about you come into the kitchen with Mama so we can make breakfast?" Melody grinned up at Rachel. Another way she was like her father. Melody loved to eat. She crawled over quickly to Rachel and grabbed onto her leg, hoisting herself up and looking at Rachel. She laughed and lifted the little girl onto her hip, bringing her into the kitchen to make breakfast for the three of them.

* * *

That evening, after spending a good part of the day at the Central Park Zoo, they hung out playing in the living room. It had gotten extremely hot out and they'd returned early so Melody could have her nap. But once she was up she was ready to play and have fun with her parents. They'd been working for a few days to attempt to get Melody to take her first steps. She would often cruise around on the furniture, but had been quite hesitant to take her first steps. If she had to get somewhere she would drop to her knees and crawl. Finn stood in the middle of the living room, holding Melody's hands in his. She stood there, looking at Rachel who was standing on the opposite side of the living room, holding her favourite doll.  
"Melody" Rachel called to her daughter in a soft voice. "Melody, come get your dolly" Melody grinned at her mother as she held her Daddy's hands. She bounced a little bit and Finn let go of one of her hands, helping her walk a few steps before letting her go when she got her footing on her own. She stood there for a moment and looked up at Finn who was right behind her.  
"It's okay baby!" He tried to encourage. Rachel held out the doll. Melody was maybe five steps away from her.  
"Melody, come to Mommy!" Melody looked up at Finn and then turned to Rachel, her gaze turning to the doll that Rachel was holding. She took an unsteady step towards Rachel, falling on her diapered bottom. She pouted, as Rachel laughed.  
"It's okay baby" Finn stepped in and helped her stand up again, moving her back half a step. Rachel held out the doll again and looked at Melody. "Come on baby, you can do it." Melody grinned again and took a slight step. When she didn't fall, she took another timid step and another before she eventually got to Rachel. Rachel squealed as Melody fell into her arms, grabbing for the doll.  
"Finn, did you see that?" She grinned up at her husband. Of course he had, he'd been right there.  
"I did baby." He smiled as he crouched beside them, running his fingers through Melody's short hair. "You did it Melly, you got to Mommy" The baby just grinned at Finn, her doll clasped in her hands. Maybe it was a fluke because she wanted her doll, but either way they now had a walking baby girl on their hands.  
And that night, once she got going there was no stopping her. They were in so much trouble.


	6. Hey Baby, I Think I Wanna Marry You

**This chapter was so much fun to write! I think I'm going to really enjoy writing this part of Melody's life. Grandparent Finchel might be fun to play with :)**

I don't own Finn or Rachel or anything related to glee. Just Riley, Melody and Caleb. 

**Chapter 6: Hey Baby, I Think I Wanna Marry You  
**

Riley Schuster's hand shook as he raised his hand to knock on the door he had come to know as his second home. He raised his hand twice, lowering it in between as his nerves got the best of him.

Finn watched from the window behind the guise of the window treatments. He chuckled as he watched the young man try and decide to go through with whatever brought him to the door.

"What are we watching?" Caleb asked as he came into the living room, seeing his father standing by the front window.

Finn turned to his son and gestured to him to come over. "Riley, trying to get the courage to knock on the door." Caleb tucked his hands in his jeans and looked over his father's shoulder. At 18 years old, he was taking after his natural paternal grandfather and stood tall at 6'5 and towered over his already tall father.

"He looks like he's talking to himself." Caleb observed, chuckling a little bit.  
"Poor guy looks scared shitless if you ask me." Finn laughed, letting the curtain drop as they finally heard the knock. "He better not have knocked up your sister, that's all I have to say."  
"Dad. Ewe." Caleb shook his head. "I really don't need to think of anyone being 'knocked up' let alone my big sister. Ewe."  
"It is possible Caleb...it just better not be happening" Finn groaned.  
"DAD!" Caleb called after him as Finn went to answer the door. "Don't you think Melody would be WITH him if that's what he's here for?"  
Finn shrugged. He walked to the door and answered it just as Riley was getting ready to knock again.  
"Mr. Hudson..." The younger man stumbled out. Damn it, he had been hoping someone else would answer the door. Riley saw Caleb standing a few paces down the hallway. "Caleb..."  
"Riley, you can call me Finn. We've been over this." He nodded as Finn moved out of the way and let the younger man step into the house. The younger man twitched in his place as they stood there almost facing off.  
Finn attempted to break the uncomfortable silence. "Come on in, let's get a drink. Then you can tell me what brings you here cause I know you know Melody isn't here. Since, you know, you've shacked up with my baby girl" Riley swallowed hard as he followed Finn more into the house.  
"Where's Mrs. Hud..."  
"My mom is out at the grocery store. Probably looking for some new form of tofu to torture us all with" Caleb made his presence known in the kitchen. He wasn't about to miss whatever was going to go down between Riley and his dad. He had a feeling it was going to be good.  
Riley looked at Caleb as they settled at the table while Finn reached into the fridge and grabbed out two beers.  
"What, I don't get one?" Finn stared down at his son. Caleb chuckled. Finn placed the beer in front of Riley and took a seat across from the boyfriend of his little girl. He stared at him for a few solid minutes.  
"So..." Finn pulled the top off and took a swig of the beer he'd gotten for himself as Caleb made himself comfortable in the other chair.  
"I guess...you'd like to know why I'm here..." Riley twitched.  
"You could say that." He paused, taking a swig of his beer. " You about to have a seizure or something? You're twitching like a madman." Finn raised an eyebrow at the young man.  
"I'm fine. Just nervous." He shook his head.  
"Ha. Nervous around my dad. That's a first." Caleb laughed, crossing his arms. It was a well known fact that Finn Hudson scared the living crap out of Riley Schuster, even after knowing the family for almost ten years.  
"Caleb, do shut up. Please." Finn exasperated. Riley actually cracked a small smile. "Riley, what can I do for you? Need money? Something wrong with my baby?"  
"No Sir. I'm good. Mel's good." He shook his head. "I do have...I do have a question to ask you..." He played with the label on his beer. He caught sight of the clock behind them on the stove. 4:45. Melody would be finishing up at work soon. He wanted to be home before she got there. Make her none the wiser.  
"Well out with it son" Finn looked at Riley, narrowing his eyes.  
"Finn. Caleb" He side eyed to look at Caleb. He wasn't expecting to have to win him over too. He should have expected it though. Caleb was fiercely protective of his older sister. "As you know, I love Melody very much. More than anything in this world." Finn nodded. "And I know we've had a little bit of a rough ride with breaking up years ago but I feel like we're in a solid place, a good place. Where we're meant to be. " Finn nodded, swallowing hard.  
He felt like he knew where this was going. He'd given a speech similar to this one so many years ago. He'd been in Riley's place, and Hiram and Leroy had scared the ever living shit out of him. Still did, even now that Leroy had sadly passed away. "I...I guess what I'm trying to say... is that I'd...I'd really like your permission to ask Melody to marry me." He dug into the pocket of the sports coat he was wearing and pulled out a velvet box. He opened the box and showed the two men the ring inside, just as the garage door rumbled to life. Riley stiffened.  
"Relax. It's just Rachel." Finn said softly, not taking his eyes off the ring. "That's a gorgeous ring."  
"Thanks." Riley said softly. "Took me forever to find it. Almost had to call in the cavalry for help" He chuckled a little bit, referring to Kurt. Riley had gotten close to the entire family in the ten years he had been intimately involved with them.

Finn turned his attention back to Riley for a moment after being drawn in by the sparkly diamond. "What makes you think you're good enough for my daughter?" Finn leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms across his chest. The door to the garage opened and Riley scrambled to shove the ring back in his pocket. It was one thing for Rachel to be home while he pleaded his case, another for her to see the ring before he was ready for her to see it.  
"Sir." He said softly. "I love your daughter. I've loved her since I first laid eyes on her in the hallway at McKinley when I was 18. She's my world. I would jump in front of a bullet for her if it would mean saving her life. She is my first thought in the morning and my last thought at night. When she's gone, when she's at work all I can think about is how to make the day go by faster so that I can get home to her and see her again. She's my everything, sir"

They heard a gasp and Riley froze to see Rachel standing in the doorway to the kitchen, grocery bags in hand. Caleb stood up from the table to grab the bags from his mom.

"Mrs. Hudson." Riley nodded. "How much..."  
"Is this what I think it is?" She grinned at Finn with tears in her eyes after Caleb took the bags from her.  
"Rach..." Finn groaned. His wife was so dramatic and emotional.  
"It is!" She clasped her hands over her mouth as the tears began to spill. Finn grabbed his wife's hand and pulled her into his lap. Riley looked at the two of them.  
"I love your daughter. I know we broke up way back when she went to Chicago but...that time away from her made me realize how much I love her and things have just been...the best since we've been back together and I just...I cannot picture my life without her. So please, can I marry your daughter?" He asked, looking at the two of them. He hated how pleading his voice sounded. He'd told himself he'd be a man about this. Clearly his emotions were getting the best of him. He just...he needed them to know how he felt about their little girl.  
"Well..." Finn paused. He looked down at Rachel. "I couldn't imagine anyone better for my daughter." He grinned. A look of relief flooded Riley's features.  
"Oh Mr...Finn..." He sighed, leaning back in his chair, slumping down.  
"How are you going to do it? When? Can I do anything to help?" Rachel squealed. Her baby was going to get engaged!

* * *

It was Rachel this time who was waiting by the window. Her eyes were trained on the driveway, waiting for Riley's Kia Soul to pull into the space.  
"They'll get here when they get here you know." Finn walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He laid his chin on her shoulder.  
"And you're sure he's going to do it this weekend?" She asked softly, tilting her head up to face her husband.  
"No. I'm not sure of anything. You were the one who told me he was going to."  
"It's just a hunch" She said softly. "I mean, why else would they go to New York for an extended weekend?"  
"I don't know, to you know, visit" Finn laughed. Before he could say anything else, the black Kia Soul they had been waiting for pulled into the driveway. Rachel immediately dropped the curtain and turned to Finn. This was it. Or so they thought it was it.  
The clock in the room ticked by as they waited to see what was going on. Whether they'd be gaining a son-in-law.

They heard footsteps coming up the driveway. Quick ones. They ran over to the couch and Finn flung his arm around his wife's shoulders as their front door banged open and their 26 year old daughter ran into the house.  
"Mom? Dad?" She shrieked when she found them in the living room and she ran to them, much like she had when she was younger.  
"Mel, you're home!" Rachel exclaimed, unwrapping herself from her husband and standing up to hug her daughter. "How was your trip?" She asked as Riley came into the room as well. He nodded at Finn as he came into the room.

"It was amazing. We saw a few shows, Funny Girl and Rent and then went for a walk through Central Park and had dinner at the little diner we used to go to when we lived there..." She flung her hand out for her mother to inspect. " and he proposed!" She squealed as she shook, her excitement barely containable.  
"How? When? Where? What did he say?" Rachel squealed as she inspected the ring on her daughter's finger. It was a simple silver band with a square cut diamond in the middle.  
"Balcony of our hotel room at night, after we saw Funny Girl." Finn saw his daughter's eyes glaze over as she thought about the moment. "We were sitting on the balcony, sharing a chair and a glass of wine looking out at the skyline. And then he started talking about where we were going and what we wanted out of life and...then he said that he didn't want to waste anymore time not being committed to me in every way possible...And then he asked me to marry him! And I said yes!" Rachel and Melody continued to squeal over the details while Finn walked over to Riley and clapped him on the back.  
"I knew she would say yes." Finn grinned at the young man. "Welcome to the family, son." Riley looked up at his son.  
"Thank you Sir." Riley sighed.  
"Just promise me something?"  
"Anything" Riley looked up at him.  
"That you're going to love her forever. And you'll take care of her."  
"Always" Riley smiled, staring at his fiancée as she walked away into the kitchen arm in arm with her mother. "She makes it pretty easy to make that promise. I guess I have you and Rachel to thank for that."  
Finn smiled. Yeah, his baby girl had picked the right one.


	7. Cuddle Time

**Chapter 7: Cuddle Time **

The cry coming from the monitor wasn't Melody's usual cry. It sounded more panicked, more gruff. Rachel threw the blankets off of her body and jumped out of the bed, racing out of the bedroom to her 5 month old daughter. She had been a little restless going down for the night, hadn't wanted to nurse for very long and had generally been cranky in the latter part of the afternoon. Now it seemed like Rachel knew why. She flew into the nursery and picked up her little girl as she continued to bawl in her crib. She scooped up the baby and cuddled her in her arms, sinking into the recliner that was in the corner of the room. Melody cried in her arms, snuggling into her Mom and rubbing her fist against her nose.  
"Oh baby, are you all stuffed up?" Rachel cooed, rubbing her finger up Melody's arm. She moved her hand to feel Melody's forehead, and felt that it was quite warm. Her heart rate immediately began to speed up.

Melody had yet to have more than a few sniffles in her short life. And the feel of her daughter's forehead starting to burn up scared Rachel immensely.  
"Finn!" She called, her voice straining against her need to get her husband awake and in the room with her. Melody jostled in her arms and immediately started to cry against her chest. Rachel slowly rocked a little in the chair as she attempted to comfort her little girl.  
"Will you eat a little for mommy?" Rachel asked softly. She smoothed her fingers over Melody's forehead as the little girl looked up at her with big watery eyes. Rachel adjusted the two of them and attempted to get Melody to nurse. She did successfully for a few minutes before turning away and starting to cry, her congestion getting the best of her.  
"Oh Melly" Rachel whispered, lifting the baby to her shoulder. Finn stumbled into the doorway and looked at his girls, finally registering her call from earlier.  
"What's going on in here?" He asked softly. He walked over to them and crouched beside the chair, placing a sleepy hand on his daughter's back. "Wow, she's getting warm Rach..."  
Rachel nodded at him slightly.  
"I don't think she feels good." She said, trying not to let the panic fill her voice. "She's all stuffed up and I tried to get her to eat and she did a little but..." She looked down at the baby for a minute. "I think she's too congested." She kissed the baby's head as she whimpered against her chest.  
"I'll find the thermometer" Finn said softly, standing up. He kissed Melody's head and then Rachel's before heading to the bathroom to grab the thermometer. He returned in moments and handed it to Rachel. He rubbed Melody's back in soft circles as Rachel placed the instrument in her ear. She whimpered a little bit.  
"It's okay princess" Finn whispered getting close to Melody's other ear. "it's okay." The thermometer beeped and Rachel pulled it from her ear. Her eyes bugged and she gasped when she read the number. Finn looked at her expectantly.  
"100.9" She said softly. Finn looked at her, his eyes shooting open and showing growing concern. Melody whimpered as she moved her head against Rachel's chest and cried when she settled.  
"I'm going to call Dr. Wilson's after hours line." Finn whispered. "See what they recommend."  
Rachel nodded, sighing. She watched as he left the room and turned her attention to the whimpering baby in her arms.  
"it's okay honey. Mommy and Daddy are going to make it better."  
She listened to Finn pacing the hallway and then rummaging in the bathroom. He came back minutes later with a syringe in one hand and the phone in the other.  
"Dr. Wilson was on call tonight" He smiled softly. "He said if the fever gets any higher to bring her in, but to make her comfortable." He held up the syringe. "And to try and drain her nose with this so she can breathe easier." Rachel's eyes grew large. Finn moved closer to show her. "I'll do it if you want..." Melody's watery eyes looked up at him.  
"Did he say we can give her anything for the fever?"  
Finn shook his head. "She's too young. He also suggested raising her mattress a little, so after we do this I'll give that a shot..."  
Rachel nodded. "What do you need me to do?"  
"Just hold her" he whispered. He ran his hand up and down Melody's back as she looked at him with big watery eyes. "It's okay baby. I know you don't feel good princess." He kissed her head. He gestured for Rachel to recline the baby in her arms and she took over rubbing her fingers up and down Melody's arm this time. Finn moved to suction out her nose and Melody immediately began to scream.  
Rachel's eyes watered as she looked at Finn.  
"It's okay Melly. I know baby. I know" Finn tried to sooth. He gave her a minute and then continued. Her crying stopped when Finn managed to get most of it out. Rachel gave him a small relieved smile. Finn stood up and bent to place a kiss to Melody's head.  
"Why don't you try to feed her again, Dr. Wilson suggested small feedings while she's comfortable. I'll see to her mattress, see what I can do."  
Rachel nodded. She got Melody settled and then reached a free arm out to Finn. He walked closer to her and she placed her hand on his cheek and drew him to her.  
"I love you."  
"Love you too" He smiled. He looked down at Melody who was content for the moment, droopy watery eyes and all and placed a kiss on her head.

When Melody was settled again for the night (well, early morning) Finn and Rachel made their way back to bed. Finn wrapped his arms around Rachel as she leaned against his chest.  
"Thanks..." She whispered.  
"For what?"  
"I was really freaked. I know she's had the sniffles but when I felt her forehead..."  
"I know" He whispered. "She's okay though. It is scary. But she's going to be fine." He whispered, pressing a kiss against her head. "Just a cold."  
"I know. But it's her first one."  
"And not her last" Finn chuckled a little bit. "Lord help us when she gets the chicken pox or something."  
Rachel's eyes grew large and Finn chuckled, pulling her more into him as he closed his eyes.

* * *

Finn's feet dragged the entire next day at work, he was exhausted from the night before being up with Melody off and on. After the initial wake up, she'd gotten up several times because she was uncomfortable and congested.  
He walked slowly up to the apartment door and smiled when he heard the soft sounds of Rachel singing lightly on the other side of the door. He opened the door quietly and stepped into the apartment. He didn't want to disturb whatever was going on so he undressed from his outerwear quietly before going to find where the voice was coming from. He found his girls in the living room, Melody cuddled up in Rachel's arms dressed in a lighter sleeper.  
"Hey" He whispered as he sat down beside her on the couch. He instantly noted that Melody was asleep in Rachel's arms. She broke her song and looked over at him.  
"Hey. She just fell back to sleep." She smiled and leaned over to kiss him softly.  
"How was she?" He asked, as he placed a gentle hand on Melody's head.  
"Her fever is starting to go down. When I took it half an hour ago it was 100.1" She said softly looking down at her little girl. "I called your Mom and she suggested putting her in a light sleeper, so I've done that and she seems a little more comfortable for the moment. But she's still really congested and her eyes are watery. I feel so bad for her." She whispered, her lip trembling. Finn kissed her head. "So we've just been having cuddles all day. It's all she wants." Finn nodded.  
"Mommy cuddles are the best." He grinned. "The usually make me feel better too." Rachel smiled up at him.  
"I'm sure she'd love some Daddy cuddles too though. But I don't want to move her until she wakes up." Finn nodded in agreement. Daddy cuddles could wait.


	8. The Windy City Awaits

I don't own anything related to glee. Just Melody, Caleb and Riley.

**Chapter 8: The Windy City Awaits **

Melody stood in the middle of her bedroom that had been her room for the better part of her childhood and crossed her arms over her chest. She blew out a breath and her bangs fluttered out of her eyes as she looked around the room, admiring her handy work. Several boxes had been packed with the essentials she would need, like towels and bedding and several suitcases were filled with all the clothing she would need at least up until Thanksgiving. She'd packed a box full of mementos that she had wanted to bring with her that consisted of framed photos and photo albums that were filled with pictures of the people she loved the most.

A knock on her bedroom door knocked her out of her daydream and she moved to the stereo to turn down the music she was blaring. When she yelled come in, the door opened to reveal her Mom.

"How's it going in here?" She asked as she walked into the bedroom with its purple walls and white trim.  
"I think I'm finished" Melody sighed, running her fingers through her hair. She gazed around the room, looking at the boxes again.  
Rachel picked up the list Melody had flung on her bed. She grinned a little when she saw the check marks Melody had made over the paper, marking off everything she had packed. She had inherited a little of the OCD Berry ways. Rachel looked at her daughter as she sat down on the edge of the mattress. It looked like Melody had it all under control.

"You alright?" Rachel asked her daughter. She watched as Melody began playing with her fingers.  
"Yeah. Packing...just made it real." Melody looked over at her mother and gave her a small smile. "I don't know if I'm ready to leave Mom." She moved to sit down on the bed beside her mother.

"Oh Mel" Rachel smiled, putting her arm around her daughter and pulling her close. She kissed her head softly. "You are so ready. You were born ready."  
"I don't feel ready." She sighed, running her fingers through her hair. "I...I'm scared."  
Rachel's heart and face softened at her daughter's words. "Of course you're scared. I think I'd be more concerned if you weren't scared. It's a new experience for you, and unlike the last time you moved me and Daddy aren't going to be there to hold your hand the entire way." Rachel whispered. "But we'll always be a call or text away." Rachel tried to smile at her daughter. Melody leaned her head on her Mom's shoulder.  
"I know." Melody whispered. "I made the right choice...right? With University of Chicago? I could have gone to..."  
"I do think you made the right choice." Rachel smiled. "It's time for you to fly baby girl. And the only way you'll get a chance to do that is if you go to Chicago..."  
Melody leaned her head on her mother's shoulder. The pair was quiet for a moment while they both got lost in their own thoughts.  
"You know, I was really scared when I first moved to New York."  
"But you had Daddy..." Melody's face fell.  
"That's right. I had Daddy. But that didn't mean I wasn't any less scared. I had never been away from home for longer than a week, and as you may have noticed New York isn't exactly a few blocks away" Rachel chuckled. "But it didn't mean the experience wasn't still scary. Me and Daddy didn't live together until second year, which was amazing. But I wouldn't have changed that first year for the world because it taught me that I could do it on my own. If Daddy wasn't around, I still could go to the store and grab groceries or find something to do on a Friday night while he tutored. And I can only hope that it'll be the same for you" Melody sighed softly as she leaned her head against her mother's shoulder. Rachel kissed her head. "You'll make new friends, but keep in touch with the old ones that mean the most to you..." Rachel nudged her daughter, indicating Riley Schuster. Melody blushed furiously. She loved her boyfriend.

* * *

The next morning dawned early. University of Chicago's orientation for freshmen began at noon sharp, and being ever so type A, Melody insisted them getting on the road as soon as possible so that they could get there on time. So when the alarm clocks of the Hudson family (minus Caleb, he'd be woken at the last minute) went off at approximately 6:30am, Finn groaned loudly.  
"Stop groaning" Rachel mumbled from her spot on the bed.  
"It's too damn early." He grumbled, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. "It's my last week of summer vacation too."  
"It's for Melody. Quit your whining." Rachel stated, giving her husband a pointed look as she got out of bed herself.  
"I know." He sighed, rubbing his hand over his face. "This is going to be one of the hardest days of my life, isn't it?"  
Rachel pouted and walked over to her husband. She sat on his lap and laid her head on his chest. "I know. Me too."  
A knock at their bedroom door alerted them that they weren't the only people awake at what Finn had deemed to be such an ungodly hour.  
"Come in" Finn called. The door creaked open and Melody poked her head into the room. She was still dressed in her pajamas, her hair piled in a messy bun on her head. Melody walked slowly over to her parents and sat down on the bed beside Finn. He wrapped his arm around her as she leaned into him.  
"I'm so proud of you Melody" Finn said quietly, as the three of them sat there.  
"Thank you Daddy." She said softly.

* * *

Everyone came to see Melody, Finn and Rachel off. Hiram and Leroy got teary as they watched Finn and Burt pack the SUV with Melody's belongings. Carole cried with Rachel from the porch, her arms around Caleb. Her and Burt were going to hang out with him while Rachel and Finn took Melody up to school. Even Will and Emma had come to say goodbye with Riley. Just as he had become a integral part of the Hudson home life, Melody had fully ingrained herself at the Schuster household over the two years they had been dating.  
Will approached Finn and clapped him on the back. "It doesn't get easier." The older man laughed. Riley was their baby at 20 years old who would himself be going back to school at the end of the week. They'd been through this three other times so he knew what he was talking about.  
Finn sighed, looking at his former mentor. This whole situation, even two years later was still weird to Finn.  
"I'm just going to miss her. And I guess by extension Riley too I guess."  
"Well you can have him if you really want." The 60 year old chuckled. There was a silence between the two as they watched their children embrace a little further away from the group. "Kind of odd how that happened...right?" Will mentioned.  
"Absolutely. But it helps me sleep at night at the same time." Finn chuckled. "You raised a good man."  
"And you raised a wonderful young woman. Whose going to blow Chicago away, just like you guys stormed New York."

They were broken from their little conversation when he caught Rachel's eye. She pointed to her watch before walking off the porch. Finn shook Will's hand before walking over to the young couple in front of him. Riley saw him coming and quickly removed his hands from Melody's waist, instead taking her hand.  
"It's that time Princess." Finn stuck his hands in his pockets. It was 8:00 in the morning, and if they didn't get going soon they wouldn't get to the university by noon, like Melody wanted.  
"Okay." She said slowly. The trio walked back towards where the group was. Riley let her go enough to watch her embrace her grandparents and her Uncles who had shown up a few minutes ago. She came to Will and Emma and hugged them before moving to Riley. Finn opened the driver's side door and started the car to get the air conditioning going. Rachel bit her lip and actually turned away, following her husband's lead and getting into the car.  
Melody bit her lip as she looked at her boyfriend.  
"I love you" He whispered, kissing her forehead, her nose and her lips as basically their entire family (well, most of Melody's) watched.  
"Three weeks." She whispered.  
"Three weeks" He repeated. "I'll visit in three weeks."  
"Easy peasy" She tried to sound happy. But her emotions were starting to get the best of her. She promised herself she wouldn't cry.  
He nodded. "Have a safe trip. i love you."  
"I love you too." He placed a soft kiss on her lips before helping her into the car. She waved after her door was shut and Finn began to drive away from the house.

* * *

Once they arrived and found her dorm after going through the rigors of registration. She'd thought she lucked out when she got a single room. She just wasn't aware her parents had paid the extra fee, knowing their little girl would fare better with as much privacy as possible. It took them three trips to bring all of her luggage up. Rachel immediately set about beginning to unpack.  
"Mom." Melody placed her hand on her arm. "I'm going to need something to do for the next few hours..." Rachel stopped what she was doing and looked at her daughter, biting her lip. They both looked at Finn.  
"I'm going to be okay." She sighed, running her fingers through her ponytail. "There's that welcome dinner thing in the cafe that I want to get to. You know, make new friends and stuff like you said I should..." She trailed off. "So I just wanted to...unpack and then get to that..."  
Finn looked at her, going over and wrapping his arms around her. "You can just tell us to leave you know." He could see Rachel's lip tremble. He felt like doing the same. He had to be strong until they got home at least.  
"It's not that I want you to leave..." She bit her lip. "It's gotta be like ripping off a band aid, right?"  
Both Rachel and Finn nodded.  
"Well." Rachel said softly. "I guess...this is it." She wrapped her arms around her daughter.  
Melody nodded., hugging her mother back. "I love you Mel."  
"I love you too Mom." Rachel kissed her cheek.  
Finn hugged her to him next. "Be brave baby girl." He whispered into her hair. "I love you so much."  
"I love you too Daddy."

* * *

Finn and Rachel were just crossing over into Lima when Rachel's cell phone rang. She scrambled for it, wiping the tears that were rolling down from her eyes and smiled a little when she saw it was Melody.  
"Hello?" She repeated saying hello a few times before she stopped and listened to the other end of the line. It seemed like Melody was unaware she had called her mother. Rachel could hear laughing and giggling on the other end of the phone. She smiled with tears in her eyes and looked over at Finn before she ended the call.  
"Everything okay?"  
"Sounds like it. I think she pocket dialed me." Rachel gave him a watery smile before tossing her phone into the console and looked over at Finn, taking his hand. They're little girl was all grown up.


	9. Paranoid

A/N: I only own Melody. Not anything or anyone related to glee.  
Thank you so much for all of your reviews! I love them! 

**Chapter 9  
**Rachel was a wreck. She'd tossed and turned the night before, leading to a sleepless night for her as Melody hadn't seemed to have gotten the memo about her mother's own sleeping troubles.

Finn had tried to comfort her every time she woke up. She felt terrible, she'd woke him up every time she had jolted up in her sleep. But he had calmed her time and time again with reassuring smiles, hugs and kisses. Today was a big day in their lives as parents.

Melody was getting her first set of needles and the fact that they were going to be sticking a needle in her baby's tiny arm, and injecting her with some foreign substances that were hopefully going to protect her from every bad virus out there.

It still made her uneasy. It still didn't make sleep come any easier. She didn't like the thought of her daughter being in pain.

So when Melody cried at virtually 6 am on the dot like she been prone to every day since they had brought her home eight weeks ago, Rachel had jolted up out of the bed for the final time with wild eyes and her hair all out of place. Finn groaned and rolled over onto his stomach, pulling his pillow over his head. He'd taken today off to be there with Rachel and Melody. He knew she'd be like this, he knew she needed him to be there for her and Melody. Melody needed him too. He loved Rachel, but she was a little insane sometimes. It was one of the things he loved about her the most.

He heard Rachel through the baby monitor, singing softly in her husky sleep laden voice. He loved to listen to Rachel and Melody together. He loved both of his girls so much. He threw the pillow off of his head and rolled back over onto his back just as the door to their bedroom opened and Rachel stood in the doorway, their 8 week old daughter cradled in her arms. She smiled sleepily at Finn and walked into the bedroom more, shuffling her feet until she reached the bed. With a practiced precision she had learned over the past weeks, she shuffled onto the bed as Finn fluffed her pillows in time for her to lean back against them. She smiled gratefully at her husband as she cradled their baby in her arms. Melody was contently looking up at her mother with her wide eyes, but at the same time waiting for Rachel to get on with her feeding. Finn leaned over and kissed the baby's head as Rachel singlehandedly got herself set up and helped Melody get settled. Finn laid on his side and just watched them. Even eight weeks later he was having a hard time getting over how beautiful his little girl was, and how beautiful it was to watch her and Rachel interacting with each other.

Rachel looked down at the baby as she nursed and ran her finger over her little nose, smiling softly before looking up at her husband.

"Do we have to take her to the doctors today?" She asked softly, biting her lip as she looked at her husband.

"We have to Rach. It's the best for her." He said simply.

"She's going to hate us so much." Rachel sighed, running her fingers over the baby's forehead.

"She won't remember it. I promise. Do you remember getting shots when you were her age?" Finn asked, looking at Rachel intently.

"No. I guess you're right." She sighed. Melody finished feeding and Rachel passed her to Finn to burp her while she straightened her sleep top. The infant let out a mighty burp and Finn grinned sleepily, laying back on his pillow, laying Melody down on his chest. She yawned against his t-shirt, grabbing it in her small fist. He kissed her small head and turned to look at Rachel, a sleepy smile on her face. She moved to get off the bed. He stretched out an arm, reaching for her.

"We don't have to be at the doctors til 9. Lay with us." He smiled. Melody turned her head so she was looking at Rachel intently. She laid down on her own pillow and snuggled closer to Finn and Melody. She stared at the baby.

"She's kind of perfect, isn't she?" She asked softly, running her fingers over Melody's back.

"She's pretty much the most perfect thing we've ever done. Aside from getting married that is." He smirked. She poked him gently in the cheek. He kissed her finger gently.

She bounced her leg up and down as they sat in the doctors waiting room, waiting for them to call Melody's name. Finn held Melody in his lap, making funny faces at the infant as she wobbled on his lap.

"Who's a pretty girl? Who's a pretty girl?" He stuck his tongue out at the baby who didn't seem to really pay him any mind.  
"Melody Hudson?" A kind nurse called when the door leading to the examination rooms opened. Rachel immediately felt her heart start to race as she watched Finn stand up and cuddle their baby to his chest. She picked up the empty car seat and the diaper bag and followed him as he followed the nurse. How was he so calm?

They entered the cheery room that was painted in a bright yellow. The nurse had Finn lay Melody down on the scale as she weighed her and took her measurements.  
"A tiny little girl." The nurse smiled when she took her height.  
"Just like her Mama" Finn quipped. Rachel blushed. The nurse finished up and left them with the promise that their pediatrician Dr. Cooper would be with them shortly. Finn sat on top of the exam table with Melody in his arms. Rachel smiled from where she sat in the chair, staring at her husband and daughter together. Like he couldn't get over seeing them together, she loved watching her husband and daughter together. It was everything she had dreamed of and more.

A knock at the door interrupted them before she could say anything to her husband about how cute the two of them looked together.  
"How's it going in here?" the older doctor with wire rimmed glasses smiled at the couple.  
"It's going pretty well. Mama's a little nervous though." Finn smiled at his wife who had begun bouncing her leg again nervously. She stopped immediately. Rachel smiled softly.

Dr. Cooper patted her shoulder as he walked by her. "It's all routine." He grabbed the chart and took a look at the notes the nurse had made.  
"So I'm told." Rachel sighed. "That's why Finn's holding her though. He's tougher." Dr. Cooper smiled.  
"Looks like she's growing like a weed. A little on the tiny side but still growing nonetheless."  
Finn smiled. "We knew she was going to be tiny, like her Mom. It's what I like most about her..."  
"Me or her?" Rachel raised an eyebrow as Dr. Cooper smiled at the couple.  
"Both of you." He grinned.  
Dr. Cooper interrupted the two of them. "So we're going to give Melody her 8 week shots. There will be two in total. One will go in her arm here..." He pointed to her right bicep area "And we will do the other one here..." He pointed to her small thigh. He went on to explain which shots she would be getting.

She got nervous when Dr. Cooper asked Finn to strip her down to her diaper and cuddle her as close as possible for the one in her right arm. She watched as Finn cuddled the baby and kissed her head several times as Dr. Cooper got the syringe ready. She bit her lip and closed her eyes as she heard Dr. Cooper ask Finn if he was ready. She squeezed her eyes tightly so she didn't have to see. She knew the first shot had happened when she heard Melody squawk and start to cry. She opened her eyes when she heard Finn whispering words of comfort. She wiped her tears as she watched Finn switch the baby to his other arm so her leg was exposed. She moved closer to them and held the baby's hand as the second shot was given to her in her thigh. Melody broke out into full blown sobs when the needle was removed from her leg. Rachel didn't give Finn time to react before she scooped the baby out of his arms and against her chest. Melody immediately nuzzled into her mother close, seeking comfort in her embrace.

"She did well." Dr. Cooper smiled as he watched the baby for a moment. "She's in perfect health, keep doing what you're doing. If for some reason she develops a fever, please don't hesitate to call the office. If it's after hours they'll patch you to me. I'll give you a few minutes to settle her."

Rachel was thankful when the doctor left, she didn't know what to say to the man who had just intentionally hurt her daughter. Finn approached Rachel with the sleeper Melody had been wearing in his hands. Rachel had sat down on the chair she had vacated after the first shot.  
"That wasn't so bad." He murmured, kissing her hair.  
"Speak for yourself." She whispered, tearing her eyes away from the baby. "That was terrible."  
Finn gave her a half smile and crouched beside the chair she was sitting in and kissed Melody's head.

When Melody had calmed down enough, Finn helped Rachel redress her before putting her in her car seat and covering her with a blanket before leaving the examination room. The baby fell asleep in her seat before they had even got back down to the car.  
"See? She's probably forgotten about it already..." Finn joked as he snapped the car seat into place with a practiced precision.  
"I'm sorry I'm just paranoid." She sighed as she got into the car herself. Finn smiled as he got in the driver's side. He took her hand and kissed it.  
"If you weren't paranoid, I'd be worried there was something wrong with you." He laughed before putting the keys in the ignition and heading for home.


	10. Our Star

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of your reviews! I love them and keep them coming!  
I wrote this chapter pretty fast, I'm not 100% thrilled with it but I wanted to get it out here for you guys!  
As always, I don't own anyone who has appeared on glee. I only own Melody, Caleb and Riley. Ryan Murphy owns the rest. 

**Chapter 10: Our Star**

She'd been practicing for weeks. She'd thrown herself into her drills and routines, perfecting them only a child with Berry blood would. Melody Hudson was ready.

Or at least she thought she was ready.

As she dropped to the mat in exhaustion, her head hitting the blue material with a sigh, she closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. She sat up only when she heard someone padding over to her, sighing when she saw it was her coach coming towards her. The older woman extended her hand to her and helped her up. She looked at her coach, a weary look on her face.  
"Go home Hudson. No more practicing, that routine was flawless. I don't want you injuring yourself before the big competition on Saturday."  
"Yes Coach" She nodded.  
"Good effort Melody. I mean it" The older woman smiled. Melody just nodded, taking the praise. She collected her water bottle from the side of the mat and took three big gulps from the bottle before heading for the change room. She quickly changed out of her practice clothes, slipping on yoga pants and a light hoodie before heading out to the parking lot to her Mom's car. She threw her bag on the passenger seat before starting the car. Blowing out a breath, she turned up the music and headed for home.

It was Thursday night, Thursday night was family dinner night. Meaning she was going to have to put up with her entire family, after a grueling day at school and particularly hard practice session at the gymnastics gym. It wasn't that she didn't love her family, she did, she loved them to bits. But at the moment she just wanted to crawl under her covers and go to bed. Her muscles screamed, and she was physically exhausted. Not to mention she still had an assignment for her history class to finish. She could only hope tonight's dinner wouldn't be one of the longer ones. She prayed it wouldn't be.  
Half of her family was already there when she pulled into the driveway. She counted three cars, her Nana and Poppy's, her grandfathers and her Uncle Blaine's Range Rover. Looks like she was last. That suited her just fine, though she secretly had been hoping for a shower before being thrown to the pack.  
Again, she loved her family. She really did. They were just a little intense at times and that was putting it mildly. But she loved them.  
What she didn't expect when she walked in the door was to find her boyfriend sitting in the living room, building a Lego contraption on the coffee table with her 10 year old brother.  
"There she is!" She heard just as she was about to make a break for the stairs unnoticed. She turned around to see her Grandpa standing in front of her, a glass of wine already in his hand. "There's our star!" She cringed at the nickname that had been passed down to her by her grandparents. "Come give m a hug!"  
"Grandpa..."She groaned, eyeing the stairs and then looking back at her grandpa. "I really need a shower..." Leroy seemed to ignore her words and enveloped his granddaughter in a hug. She relented and pulled away quickly.  
"I'll be right back..." She looked at him, eyed the group in the living room and walked towards the stairs. At the moment her mother poked her head out of the kitchen.  
"Don't take too long Melody, dinner's almost ready."  
She inwardly groaned. So much a nice, _long,_ hot shower. She loved her family, she did.

She returned downstairs after her shower, changing into a pair of leggings and an oversized sweater, her wet hair pulled up into a bun on the top of her hair. She'd hastily threw on some foundation and mascara along with some lip gloss. She found her family still in the living room and plopped down beside Riley. She put her head on his shoulder.  
"What are you doing here?"She asked softly, placing her hand on his knee. He looked down at her. "Not that I mind, I just...wasn't expecting you to come to family dinner tonight..." She sighed. He leaned over and kissed her head before handing the piece of Lego he had in his hand to Caleb.  
"My class tomorrow was cancelled, and since I was coming home already tomorrow night to come to your competition, I thought I would come home early. I ran into your Mom at the grocery store and she invited me." She smiled. "That okay?"  
"Of course it's okay." She sighed again and leaned more into him.

Rachel called them all to dinner a few minutes later and they all took their places at the table. The table was a mess of various conversations, but Melody couldn't bring herself to enter any of them. She heard her Nana and Poppy talking about the garage and how well it was doing, her granddad and grandpa were teasing Caleb about the results of his math tests. She met her Dad's eyes from across the table and gave him a small smile. She kept her right hand on Riley's thigh as the various dishes were past around the table.  
"How was practice Mel?" Rachel asked from her position at the end of the table, to the left of Melody. She passed her the salad she was holding.  
"It was good. Long and hard but good. Coach Miller said my routine was flawless. She told me not to practice anymore so I don't hurt myself."  
"And I bet your not going to listen to her." Uncle Blaine laughed from across the table. She just shrugged.  
"She is her mother's daughter." Her granddad smiled from his seat. Melody blushed and looked down at her plate, pushing the mashed potatoes around. She felt Riley squeeze her hand. He knew she hated it when her family talked about her like she wasn't there.  
"What time is the competition Saturday?" Her Nana asked, as she cut up her piece of chicken. "I know it's in Akron but..."  
"Mine starts at 10." She answered softly. "But the entire thing starts at 9, so I have to be there by 8." Her family nodded.  
"Riley, are you coming?" Uncle Kurt asked from across the table. "We can pick you up since we're on your side of town..." Riley nodded.  
"Yeah, I was planning on coming." He smiled. "And I appreciate the offer, but I was hoping to drive with Melody..."  
Kurt nodded from across the table, "Well the offer is still there if you need it."  
"Thank you Sir."

She turned in early after dinner was over, choosing to head up to her bedroom to relax and finish up her homework after seeing Riley out. Her Nana and Poppy were still here helping her parents tidy up but everyone else had left. A knock on her door signalled that someone was outside.  
"Come in."  
The door opened to reveal her father, a chocolate chip cookie as big as the palm of his hand in his grasp. He held it out to her.  
"Your mom just finished making these. Thought you'd want one before they were still hot." She smiled at the thoughtful gesture. She held out her hand, signalling for him to come into the room and give her the cookie.  
"You okay princess?" She felt him sit down on the side of her bed, causing the books she had pulled out to slide a bit. He caught her textbook before it hit the ground. "You didn't say a whole lot at dinner tonight."  
"Yeah. Just tired. I have a ton of homework to do." She blew out a breath. "Just mentally going over my routine..."  
Finn smiled at her. "You're going to do fine. If Coach Miller is saying it's flawless and telling you NOT to practice, you're golden."  
"I know. I still worry." Finn smiled at his daughter and patted her knee.  
"You'll do fine. You always do great. This competition is no different." He looked at his daughter, sensing a little something else.  
"It's also a little sad. This might be one of my last competitions. I mean, I start applying to colleges soon and..."  
"Don't let that stop you. Just go out, do your best and enjoy it. Who knows, maybe you'll be able to do gymnastics still where ever you end up going to school...I know the University of Lima has a club. Riley told me." Finn smirked. Melody hit his arm gently. She hadn't even applied yet, she would start doing that in the spring and Finn was already trying to sway her one way or another. He'd been doing it since she started her senior year in September.  
He kissed her head. "Either way, whatever happens Saturday and whatever college you choose you kow your mom and I will still be and always be proud of you."  
"Thanks Dad." She finished her cookie and smiled at her father, genuinely. He always knew how to make her feel better. 

* * *

This was it. Her floor routine was next. She bit her lip as she watched the judges talk about the routine before hers before they announced her scores. The girl in front of her had been great, but she'd noticed from her position a few misplaced steps and wobbles. That only made her own anxiety rise. When the girl received her scores, which were lower than Melody would have given her, her anxiety started to rise even higher. These judges were going to be hard to impress.  
"Next in our 18-20 group, Melody Hudson. Floor routine to Some Nights by Fun." The MC announced. She took a deep breath and blew it out, before walking out to the mat. She looked into the stands briefly and caught the eye of her entire family. If she wasn't nervous before, she was now.  
She shook her wrists as she caught Riley's eye. He winked and blew her a kiss.  
The music started and she threw herself into her routine, trying her best to ignore the fact that her entire family was watching. She tried to just focus on doing what she enjoyed the best.

Before she even realized it, the routine was over, she'd landed her last flip with grace and elegance, and bowed as the music faded out. She could hear her entire family whistling and clapping, her Poppy the loudest of them all. She smiled at them all before running off the mat to stand beside Coach Miller as the judges debated her performance.

She cracked her knuckles with worry and chewed on her lip. In what seemed like a flash, the MC's voice came over the speaker to announce that the scores were ready. She bit her lip and tried not to blink as they went down the line. All four judges had awarded her with a variation of 9's, the highest being a 9.8. And being that her routine was last, quick calculations in her head told her that she was in first just as the same result was announced. She shrieked, throwing her arms around her coach before jumping up and down, in a very Rachel like way. She had done it.

The medal presentation came next, as her age level was done for the day. She grinned like a fool when the first place medal was placed around her neck. She stood at the top and couldn't help the grin that emerged on her face. She could hear the woops and catcalls from her family as she clutched the flowers she was given in her hands. After a few minutes, she shook hands with her opponents and wished them well before stepping down from the podium, her grin firmly in place.

After announcing there was to be a brief intermission before the next category began, Melody escaped to the change room to throw her warm up clothes over her outfit before going to find her family. When she left the room, she didn't need to look far as she felt Riley wrap her up in his arms quickly, spinning her around before passing her to her parents who enveloped her in hugs.  
"There's our star!" Her grandpa exclaimed, flowers in his hands. He thrust them at her, adding to the pile she was holding her hands that Riley had managed to somehow not squish in his excitement. She smiled as she looked at her family, accepting the hugs from her extended family as they all congratulated her on her win.  
"Now..." Her Poppy clapped his hands together, rubbing them as he looked at the gathered group. "Whose hungry?" He grinned. And that sent the entire family into another uproar. It always seemed the Berry-Hudson-Hummel-Andersons were always down for a good meal. She loved her family, remember?


	11. This Is How A Heart Breaks

**I am SO SORRY it took me so long to update this story! If you haven't noticed, I started another long fic "Just Give Me A Reason" which has kind of invaded all of my creative juices. Anyway, I wanted to get an update out and I thought of this idea...and voila!**

Anyways, I own Melody, Caleb and Riley. Not Finn, Rachel or anyone/thing related to glee. They're all owned by Ryan Murphy & Fox.

Enjoy! 

* * *

**Chapter 11: This Is How A Heart Breaks**

It's the middle of the night when the house phone rings. Rachel is in that in between state of asleep, yet not quite deep enough that things like a phone don't disturb her. She blindly reaches for the phone, her eyes just blurry enough that she can't read the caller ID. She answers anyway, as her fathers were getting older and she was never sure how much they were actually telling her about their health. What makes her sit up though, are the sobs that come from the other end of the line. The sobs are distinctly her daughters, she can tell and she immediately sits up straighter, adjusting the pillows behind her back.

"Melody? Baby, is that you?" She asks softly. Finn grunts in his sleep and she almost slaps him awake so he can be here for this too, but she waits to see what's going on.

"It's me Mommy." The phone crinkled.

"Melly, what's wrong?" She heard the heaving on the other side of the phone. "Melly, talk to me."

"Mommy, he broke up with me" She cried into the phone. As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Rachel felt her heart break. She immediately flung her arm across to her husband and slapped him repeatedly, trying to wake him up. Unlike her, he was a deep sleeper.

"What happened Mel?"

"He...he...he was supposed to come for the weekend this morning and he called and said...Mommy he broke up with me!" She cried into the phone.

"Mel, I'm so sorry baby. I'm so sorry."

"Mommy, I thought we were going to make it..." She sobbed. "We were going to be the ones who made long distance work and he just didn't want me anymore" She cried into the phone.

"Oh Mel." Rachel sighed into the phone just as she listened to her daughter cry.

Melody and Riley had been dating for three years, since she was 16 and he was 18. When Melody had moved to Chicago two Septembers ago to go to college, Rachel was sure they were going to make it as they had both seemed dedicated to make it work. But now, she wasn't so sure.

"Mommy, I want to come home." She sobbed. "I need a hug."

Rachel's heart broke and she reached over to slap her husband again. He finally grunted, rolled over and almost glared at her.

"Why are you smacking me at midnight?" Rachel moved the phone from her mouth and looked at her husband.

"Riley broke up with Melody" Melody must have heard her tell Finn, because she began to sob on the other end of the phone. "Mel, Mel, it's okay. I was just telling Daddy."

"Mommy, my heart hurts" She sobbed into the phone. "I...I...I loved him"

"I know you did honey." She soothed.

"Please come get me."

"Let me talk to Daddy, hold on."

Finn was already sitting up, scrubbing his head, mumbling something about wanting to kill and castrate Riley Schuster.

"Finn, she wants to come home."

Finn wasn't going to lie, he kind of wanted to hug his little girl right now. He rubbed his forehead. "Can she, though, school..."

"School doesn't matter right now Finn. Plus it's Thursday, she can stay for the weekend." Rachel whispered. "She needs us..."

"Tell her to pack. I'll go find her a flight home." Rachel smiled at her husband as she watched him get out of bed.

"Tell Daddy thank you" Rachel heard on the other end of the line. She must have heard what Finn had said.

"I will honey. We'll see you soon."

* * *

Rachel waited in the Cincinnati airport, anxiously hoping from foot to foot. She hadn't been able to sleep since Melody had called this morning, and Finn had booked her a flight home for the weekend. She just wanted to see her daughter, hug her and help her feel better. She knew what it felt to have her heart broken, her and Finn had done it many times to each other in their early relationship. She knew how much it hurt to have someone who you thought loved you, break your heart. Hence why she really just wanted Melody to come home, even if it was just for the weekend. Finn had gotten her the earliest flight into the Cincinnati airport. She'd had to head out just as Finn was taking off, Caleb in tow to start their day at school. Caleb had tried to beg off school feigning concern for his older sister, but it had fallen to deaf ears.

Melody saw her before Rachel could blink, and had ran at her mother and threw her arms around her.

"Oh Mom" Melody cried as soon as she hugged her mother.

"Melody, I'm sorry." She hugged her daughter and kissed her head. Melody sniffled as Rachel led her out of the airport and to the van.

They drove home in silence, soft music filling the van interspersed with Melody's sniffles. Rachel knew that Melody would come to her, start talking when she wanted to. She knew that her company was enough.

They got home just after lunch time, and Melody dragged her backpack and purse inside with her. She watched as she walked up to her bedroom and closed her door behind her. Rachel bit her lip as she watched her go, before going to the kitchen to start up the kettle to boil some water. Melody loved tea, and if they were going to have the big heart to heart she thought they were tea would be a necessity. She set about making her tea, but when Melody didn't come back after the kettle whistled, Rachel felt her heart sink. But she made the tea anyway, with milk and sugar, before putting them on the tray and carrying them up the stairs. She knocked on Melody's door softly and didn't get a response. She knocked again before trying the handle and finding it unlocked. She opened it after putting the tray down in the hallway. She opened the door and found Melody asleep on her bed, her pillowed curled up under her cheek. Rachel walked further into the room, pulling the blanket up to her chin before kissing her head and leaving the room.

Melody walked down the stairs rubbing her eyes an hour and a half later. Rachel was folding laundry in the living room.

"Hey sleepy head." Melody walked into the room more and sat down next to her mom on the couch.

"Hi."

"You okay?"

Melody sighed and shook her head. Rachel put down the pair of socks she was folding.

"It hurts Mom." Rachel leaned over and placed a kiss on her head.

"It wouldn't be heartbreak if it didn't hurt." Rachel murmured against her head.

"I just don't get it Mom. We were...we were happy..." She whimpered. "We had just talked...we had just spent the summer together...Mom, I don't get it."

Rachel's heart broke as she listened to her. She was right, they had had the summer together. They'd both been home for the entire break, each of them working part time jobs but spent the majority of their free time together.

"Did I do something wrong, Mom? Was I not a good girlfriend? Should I have chosen a university closer?" She sobbed into her shoulder.

"Melody, you did nothing wrong. This wasn't your fault. He broke up with you. And unfortunately you won't know what's going on in his head or why. Maybe you will one day, but that answer isn't going to come soon."

"How do I get over it?" She whispered. "Everything hurts."

"I know baby. I know." Rachel sighed. "And I don't know. Every breakup is different. I wish I knew what to tell you about how to get over it. You just do over time." Melody nodded as she leaned into Rachel.

"I miss him." She whispered. "I miss him so much."

"I know honey. And that's perfectly okay. Nothing wrong with that at all."

They were quiet after that, as they sat together. Rachel pushed all of the laundry back into the basket and cuddled with Melody on the couch. They put on Funny Girl while they waited for Finn and Caleb to return home and just spent time together. Rachel remade the tea, and found some vegan ice cream in the freezer that they both dug into.

When Finn and Caleb arrived home, the movie was all but over and the ice cream was gone. Melody's lip trembled as soon as she heard her father's voice.

"Daddy" She lifted her arms and Finn went to her, wrapping his strong arms around his daughter.

"It's going to be okay baby." He kissed her head. "How about we go out to Breadstix for dinner, take your mind off things?" He looked to Rachel who only nodded to agree.

Caleb looked at his sister after Finn pulled away from her.

"I'm sorry about Riley Mel. I didn't like him anyways." Caleb sighed. Melody smiled a little bit through her tears and leaned over to punch her brother playfully.


End file.
